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By M Zhu, J Safarian

Understanding the slag composition-structure-property relationship remains challenging due to the amorphous nature of slag melts and the difficulty of high-temperature experimental investigations. Since the CaO-Al2O3-SiO2 slag system is maybe the most important slag system for various hightemperature metallurgical process, the present research employed high-throughput molecular dynamics (MD) simulations on the entire composition region of the CaO-Al2O3-SiO2 slag system to determine physical properties like molar volume, density and diffusivity, structural properties such as distribution of different oxygen types for each simulated slag melt. The obtained slag properties result from the simulations displayed good consistency with experimental data, underscoring the reliability of the MD simulation as a novel tool to predict reasonable slag properties and to study slag behaviour from atomistic insight. The simulated results demonstrate a near-linear relationship between molar volume changes and composition, highlighting the predominant role of oxygen atoms, which is attributed to the significantly larger size of oxygen compared to other cations in the slag melts. This disparity in size leads to oxygen ions occupying most of the space in slags, thereby playing a major role in determining the overall molar volume. The simulation results of slag density revealed a decreasing trend with increased SiO2 content and identified a local minimum at constant SiO2 when Al2O3 content increases, also consistent with established slag density models. Furthermore, the simulated oxygen self-diffusion coefficients reveal a strong composition-structureproperty relationship, where an increase in CaO content enhances slag diffusivity, while a minimum in diffusivity is observed near a CaO/Al2O3 ratio of unity. The diffusivity minimum also corresponding to the local viscosity maxima, indicating effective simulation of charge compensation effects and dynamic characteristics of slag melts. The simulated distribution of oxygen types in slag — bridging oxygen (BOs), non-bridging oxygen (NBOs), free oxygen (FOs) and tricluster oxygen (TOs) — reveals a composition-dependent pattern: BOs peak near CaO/Al2O3 = 1, NBOs and FOs are abundant in CaO-rich areas with NBOs peaking near the Ca3SiO5 composition, FOs in the CaO corner, and TOs predominantly in the Al2O3 corner, highlighting the complex interplay of network formers and modifiers for the charge compensation effects on the slag’s structural properties. The successful application of MD simulations in this study paves the way for a powerful approach to explore the complex relationships in multicomponent slag systems and bridges the gap between mathematics modelling and experimental observations in high-temperature metallurgical processes.

Aug 21, 2024

By D Price

Mining at the Tuckabianna Mining Centre in the Murchison district of Western Australia ceased in 1997, after the production of 550 000 ounces of gold at an average grade of 2.5 g/t from 22 separate open pits (Tectonic Resources, 2006). Like many historic mining camps in WA, Tuckabianna was considered exhausted of gold, such that an economic project could not be sustained on the existing resources. Since 1997, three separate companies have owned the Tuckabianna leases. Each of these companies completed minor exploration and some form of mining study to determine if mining could be sustained. All three companies concluded that the remaining resources were insufficient to support an economic project. Silver Lake Resources acquired the adjacent Tuckabianna, Comet and Moyagee projects in 2007 with a combined resource base of 693 000 ounces of gold in 11 separate deposits. In September 2009, Silver Lake commenced exploration in the Murchison targeting extensions to the main resources at the three project centres and completing targeted regional exploration across the lease holding. At the same time, a detailed evaluation of all historic drill data was completed and all resources re-estimated. This has culminated in the resource base increasing to 1.5 million ounces of gold in 20 separate deposits, with two new discoveries being made. In August 2010, a mining feasibility study was commissioned. Preliminary results from the study indicate that an economic stand alone project can be sustained for a minimum of five years. The ability to bring the remaining resource from a once unloved project into production is due to a number of factors: historically high gold price, combining adjacent projects into a single operation, evaluation of all resources regardless of size and grade, and well funded exploration directed to both resource extensions and new discoveries. Using the Tuckabianna Project as an example, this paper attempts to outline the strategy Silver Lake used to define the resources to justify the capital expenditure required for production, and give a summary of some of the successes and failures made as the projects progress towards mining. Examples of where being too rigid and over exuberant have resulted in less than optimal use of expenditure are used to high-light the difficulties in exploring in mature terrains. Evaluation of the success of a company’s exploration strategy at all scales from project acquisition to target selection is critical to the success of future project development. This paper has been part of that process for Silver Lake with some interesting discussions and insights being made. It is hoped that some of the points discussed can be applied to other projects to help achieve the best outcome from the assets available to a company.

Aug 22, 2011

By M A. Tuck

Atmospheric air on a moisture free volume basis consists of approximately 21 per cent oxygen. The current minimum threshold for oxygen in Australia is 19.5 per cent. Atmospheric air generally will also contain water vapour and will also pick up further moisture as it flows around a mine ventilation network. This paper details the results of a study to determine how much oxygen depletion can occur due to the sole impact of increasing the moisture content of air and the potential impacts of this on ventilation system design. The study shows that the moisture content can have a significant impact on the oxygen concentration in mine air. The main factors controlling the impact are the barometric pressure, dry bulb temperature and relative humidity of the air.CITATION:Tuck, M A, 2015. What is the oxygen depletion potential of ?water vapour?, in Proceedings The Australian Mine Ventilation Conference, pp 173–176 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 31, 2015

By N J. Potter, N W. Brand, J M. F Clout

The increasing demand for iron ore with low concentrations of trace elements, puts increasing pressure on iron ore producers for high-quality material. Understanding the mineralogy, petrography, chemistry, and mineral association of iron ore deposits is becoming increasingly important to provide iron ore products that meet the ever-increasing standards of steel mills. Limited attention has been paid to documenting new orebodies beyond bulk RC drill chip assays and product specification data. Therefore, limited information is known about the spatial distribution of minor and trace elements at the hand specimen scale, and elemental deportment within different ore and gangue minerals. In this study, samples from high-grade microplaty hematite, supergene-enriched martite-goethite and hematite iron ores are examined for their elemental and mineral associations. These samples contain distinctive minor and trace element distributions, with the mapping of deleterious elements (eg Zn, As, Cu) enabling the deportment and abundance within the ore and gangue minerals to be assessed. Results from this study show a diverse range of minor and trace mineralogy that are present in typical iron ore samples, in abundances below the detection limit of routine XRD scans, that host the deleterious elements, including but not limited to, sphalerite (Zn and S), chalcopyrite (Cu and S), xenotime (P and Y), apatite (P and Ca), cryptomelane (K and Mn), barite (Ba and S), alkaline feldspar (K, Al and Si) zircon (Zr and Si) and chromite (Cr and Al). The presence of these minerals and associated deleterious elements, even at low concentrations, has implications for producers, with the ongoing restrictions and tightening of environmental constraints in shipped iron ore products. By understanding the distribution and location of these elements within the iron ore, steps can be considered to maintain increasingly higher quality iron ore supply around the world.

Nov 8, 2021

By Y V. Haarlem, P Coghill, N G. Cutmore, M Millen, I Carter

Due to the low concentration of gold, ore sorting for gold has always required measuring indirect properties, such as density or colour, to allow separation on a rock by rock basis. This only works on an ad hoc, by deposit basis and is likely to be least reliable where it is most required in low grade ores. One candidate technique, Gamma Activation Analysis (GAA) has been demonstrated to directly measure gold extremely accurately in powder samples of around 500gm and is used in the Chrysos PhotonAssay assay system. This method uses a linear accelerator (linac) to generate the X-ray radiation that activates the ore at low levels to emit a characteristic gold gamma ray that is then measured by a radiation detector. CSIRO is adapting this measurement technique to application on a belt at up to 800tph to measure pods of ore. The principal differences between measuring samples and an on-line measurement of pods are the requirement to measure coarse ore (<50mm), to measure a larger volume of ore as uniformly as possible, and to have an open-ended geometry with adequate shielding of the linac radiation source. These issues have all been addressed with measurements of coarse ore reported down to around 1ppm in sub-optimal test conditions. They have been demonstrated for <75mm particles with detectors capable of measuring a large volume geometry continuously. These are projected to allow measurements down to 0.3ppm in more optimum conditions for a 10 second measurement time period where the U/Th content of the ore is less than ~10ppm. Extensive Monte Carlo modelling has demonstrated that adequate shielding can be provided in relatively simple geometries with only 1 right angle transfer in the material handling. Steady progress is being made to reach the technical position required to trial an ore sorting system.

Nov 10, 2020

By E Yurakov, D J. Ashelford, M I. Slate

The push for increasing coal production rates continues to place increasing demands on mine management to safely and effectively control seam gas. Gas drainage strategies applied vary in both effectiveness and form. Methods employed are a function of assessed risk, gas reservoir characteristics, surface and underground access, budgetary constraints and gas utilisation potential. With the aim of establishing and optimising the effectiveness and efficiency of gas drainage systems, Australian coal miners in cooperation with gas management specialists are embracing the use of gas reservoir simulators and gas emission models. This paper discusses the evolution of gas drainage practices in Australian underground coal mines and the role of gas reservoir assessment methods in optimising gas drainage systems and gas production forecasts.

Jan 1, 2005

By S Farrokhpay, C Akop

Copper-gold-pyrite ore types with an elevated pyrite head grade utilise a sequential flotation circuit to recover initially a copper-gold concentrate with a pyrite-gold concentrate being produced from the tailing of the initial circuit.A simpler flotation circuit with lower operating and capital costs for treatment of such copper-gold-pyrite ores with an elevated pyrite head assay was sought in the described work. After characterising the ore, the objective was to apply bulk rougher flotation of both the copper minerals and pyrite for the copper-gold-pyrite ore at natural pH. Hence, no lime or other pyrite depressants were required in bulk roughing. The bulk rougher concentrate was upgraded in a cleaner circuit to reject non-sulfide gangue and then the resulting sulfide concentrate was separated by depressing the pyrite to produce two products (copper and pyrite concentrates, both having significant gold assays). A standard test with a sequential circuit was applied to the same ore for comparison.The chalcopyrite and pyrite losses in the tailing from the rougher circuit were the same for both bulk and sequential roughing (less than six per cent). In cleaning (bulk circuit), the effective pH for pyrite depression was 11.8–11.9; copper recovery was 70–75 per cent (grade of 15–20 per cent copper) and the sulfur recovery (pyrite product) was 80–85 per cent (grade of 34–36 per cent sulfur).These results approached those for the sequential circuit where copper recovery was 80–85 per cent (grade of 15–20 per cent copper) and the sulfur recovery (pyrite product) was 83 per cent (grade of 38 per cent sulfur).The observed effects of feed sizing on the liberation of minerals in the rougher feed are discussed. Options for improving the bulk circuit results are also considered. Importantly, the implications of various aspects of these findings for the bulk circuit are discussed with an industrial focus.CITATION:Akop, C, Farrokhpay, S and Johnson, N W, 2014. An alternative circuit for chalcopyrite-pyrite ores with elevated pyrite content in Cu-Au ore treatment, in Proceedings 12th AusIMM Mill Operators’ Conference 2014 , pp 407–416 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 1, 2014

By J Knecht, R Klymowsky, E Burchardt

The wide spread introduction of SAG mills into grinding circuits 20 years ago was the last development which had a major impact on the design and economics of comminution circuits. Single SAG mills were able to replace batteries of high maintenance and cost intensive crushers in order to achieve high throughput operations. Today, where the head grades of gold and copper ores are falling, there is again a strong need for a significant breakthrough to reduce investment and operating costs as well as improve metal recoveries. High-pressure grinding rolls is the new technology available to meet this challenge. HPGRÆs are state-of-the-art in several mining and minerals applications such as the grinding of iron ores and concentrates, and diamond bearing ores. Reasons for their success in these industries are overall cost reductions and improved product properties achieved by the application of high compressive forces. But these ores are relatively soft, with unconfined compressive strengths up to 150 Mpa.

Jan 1, 2000

By M Erskine, R Mills

This paper approaches tailings dam risk management from the perspective of how other high hazard industries approach the management of their catastrophic event risks, with the aim to provide recommendations from these learnings for the industry to adopt.

Jul 1, 2021

By R W. Wilson, A R. Branch

For hot mines, the use of mechanical refrigeration machines has become an essential feature of ventilation and cooling systems. Over the last 30 years, considerable effort has been made in developing refrigeration strategies and equipment to provide cooling that is cost-effective, reliable and energy efficient. In addition to these general design requirements it is necessary to take into account project specific factors such as long term mine cooling needs, operating strategy and installation time. This paper examines a number of actual mine cooling installations which illustrate how these features have influenced the design and installations. For many mines, it is known how the cooling requirements will increase as the mine develops, based on the life of mine plan. The design of the cooling installation must cater for both short- and long-term needs. The initial installation (to meet short-term requirements) must form an integral part of the ultimate cooling installation and as additional equipment and refrigeration machines are installed, it is necessary to ensure that the system remains cost-effective, reliable and energy efficient at all stages. For many mines, refrigeration machines are installed on surface and either operated near-continuously, or for the summer months only. Different maintenance strategies and policies with regard to standby equipment are highlighted for three mine installations. In spite of developments in cooling strategy, the cost of providing refrigeration remains expensive and many mines delay the introduction of refrigeration, as long as possible. When it is finally accepted that refrigeration is absolutely necessary, it is frequently necessary to æfast trackÆ the installation. To minimise site erection time and meet installation deadlines, factory pre-assembly and standardised modular equipment are widely used.

Jan 1, 2005

By R Crosbie, K C. Runge, E Tabosa, J K. McMaster

Flotation feed density is an operating parameter which is currently not well understood. Most models of flotation only incorporate its effect on particle residence time, but it is likely to have additional effects within both the pulp and froth phases of the machine. Test work was performed in MetsoÆs 3 m3 RCS test rig to investigate the effect of flotation feed density on metallurgical performance. The rig was operated at Rio TintoÆs Northparkes operation using flotation feed and scavenger tail. For each feed, tests were performed at different feed densities, and measurements were performed to estimate the pulp and froth recovery as well as other key flotation parameters (eg bubble size, turbulence and froth stability). Results of this test work have shown that the pulp density does affect key parameters of the flotation process in both the pulp and froth phases. Pulp phase kinetic rates decrease at high density and this is attributed to a reduction in the turbulence within the cell. Froth phase recovery, however, improves presumably because of a stabilising effect due to a greater loading of solids on bubble surfaces.There is a need for more research to be done to better understand these interactions so that metallurgists can determine the optimum flotation feed density to use at a particular operation, or within a section of a flotation circuit.CITATION:Runge, K C, Tabosa, E, Crosbie, R and McMaster, J K, 2012. Effect of flotation feed density on the operation of a flotation cell, in Proceedings 11th AusIMM Mill OperatorsÆ Conference, pp 171-178 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Oct 29, 2012

By A S. Kurilko

For mines located in the cryolitic zone, thermal conditions are an important factor for all kinds of mining works, especially for ventilation of workings. In the present paper, some models of mine air heat transfer considering air distribution in a net of mine workings are developed. A combined solution is suggested for heat transfer and air distribution problems in mine workings and other underground structures located in the cryolitic zone. A software package is also presented for calculating temperature conditions in an underground refrigeration plant and for optimisation of ventilation conditions. This software uses a special 3D mathematical model to describe heat transfer in a freezing chamber between surrounding rock massif and stored product as well as between atmospheric air and the daylight surface of rock massif. A problem requiring strengthening of a backfill material and its thermal interaction with surrounding rocks during underground deposit mining by horizontal layers in conditions of the cryolitic zone is also discussed. The developed program takes into account cement consumption, geometrical dimensions of workings filled and a sequence of deposit mining.

Jan 1, 2005

By T Sparks

The Collie River catchment, located approximately 200 km south of Perth, covers an area of around 2830 km2 and is the source of run-off to the Wellington Dam, an important irrigation water resource for the Collie Irrigation District. The salinity of the Wellington Dam has increased due to historical clearing and irrigators currently use water with salinity levels approximately twice that of the Murray River in South Australia (Water and Rivers Commission, 2001). The Collie River Salinity Situation Statement (2001), released by the Water and Rivers Commission (now the Department of Water), identified realistic actions that could achieve the salinity reduction target. Subsequent benefit-cost analyses and prefeasibility studies recommended the diversion of the most saline flows in the Collie River away from the dam as an immediate intervention (URS, 2003). The East Branch of the Collie River above the locality of Buckingham (20 km east of Collie) contributes around half of the salt that flows into the Wellington Dam and the diversion and storage of the saltiest flows from the East Branch at Buckingham was identified as a viable option for reducing salinity in Wellington Dam. The proposal had one problem û the water could not be disposed of as quickly as it was diverted. However, in the vicinity of the diversion site were a number of coal mine voids and after preliminary discussions, the Government/Griffin Coal alliance was formed and from this the opportunities have continued. Diverted water would be stored temporarily in an adjacent mine void (Chicken Creek 4 void) and then disposed of to the sea. The disposal options included Western Power CorporationÆs saline discharge pipeline from Collie Power Station, or a new pipeline. The diverted water was also identified as a potential raw source for treatment and use in industry. This has opened up opportunities including desalination, water efficiencies in the power stations, increased reliability of water supply for the power stations, water for new industries, wastewater disposal options and extra water for PerthÆs water supply. In the process of solving the water storage problems the project introduced a range of mine water quality problems û heavy metals and pH û and the Department of Water (DoW) is now working with the mining industry and the Centre for Sustainable Mine Lakes (CSML) to develop treatment and management technologies. The project has received support and funding through the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality (NAP) and it has been possible to accelerate and enhance this project as a result of NAP. The DoW has developed the proposal to an advanced stage and gained approvals for the capital diversion program to go ahead. The partnerships have expanded to include the second mining company, Premier Coal, the Water Corporation, Western Power and the Harvey Irrigation Cooperative. The proposal could feasibly result in a $90 million integrated water management initiative for Collie using the latest technology, mining operations and providing water for value adding industries in the local area. The DoW is not a mining company; however, our experience in managing water in times of shortage, environmental water quality criteria, competition for water and managing community expectations will have the same success factors:consultation and knowing your community and stakeholders, sharing issues and working in partnership can provide results far greater than the initial issue, even brackish water has value, every sector is in competition with each other and has to have a share of the water, an integrated approach can provide opportunities for development in areas of water shortage, and never think of water as wastewater.

Jan 1, 2006

By L Basnayaka, N Subasinghe, B Albijanic

"It has been recognised that the presence of clay minerals in ores adversely affect flotation performance. In this study, changes in rheological properties of the flotation pulps under normal operating conditions were studied with additions of bentonite and kaolinite clays at various concentrations. Zeta potential measurements were also carried out to determine the changes in surface charge due to adsorption of clay particles. The results showed that bentonite clay adversely affects floatability of pyrite while kaolinite clay had a lesser influence on flotation of pyrite. The addition of Ca2+ ions to the pulp containing bentonite modified the rheological characteristics and in turn improved the pyrite flotation. It was also observed Ca2+ ions suppressed the swelling properties of bentonite and altered surface charge properties of bentonite clay particles. It has been shown that the flow index affected the ultimate recovery and it may provide a means to monitor flotation performance in routine plant operations.Citation:Basnayaka, L, Subasinghe, N and Albijanic, B, 2016. Effect of Clay Rheology on Flotation of a Refractory Gold Ore, in Proceedings 13th AusIMM Mill Operators’ Conference 2016, pp 77&ndash;84 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Oct 10, 2016

By G Phillips

The Merlin project is situated 130 km south of Cloncurry in North West Queensland, Australia. It is located within the Pre-Cambrian Mt Isa Inlier and is grouped within the Eastern Fold Belt. The host rocks are metasedimentary rocks of the Proterozoic Kuridala and Staveley Formations adjacent to the Mount Dore Granite.Merlin zone represents part of the Mount Dore polymetallic deposit containing copper, zinc, silver, gold, lead, cobalt and most recently has been found to host molybdenum mineralisation. This is intimately associated with economic grades of rhenium, a naturally occurring metal that is an important component of high temperature aircraft engines. The host rock sequence is a 200 m thick zone of metasediments sandwiched between competent granite in the hanging wall and brittle quartzite in the foot wall. A distinct shear marks the contact between the granite and metasediments. The host rocks are comprised of three main rock types: black shale, phyllite and altered banded calc-silicate.Mineralisation dips to the east at approximately 45&#176; in a package of fine grained pelites and banded calc-silicates. The top 150 m of the sequence is typified by black shale and phyllite. The lower 50 m is typified by pink banded calc-silicate. The main molybdenite zone is located at and parallel to the pelite-calc-silicate contact. Down dip, the zone splits into two or three veins hosted by the calc-silicate rock suite and haloed by thin, steep dipping, stylolitic molybdenite veinlets.The deposit was discovered in 2008 by routine infill reverse circulation sampling conducted for the Mount Dore copper deposit. One hole penetrated below the main target Cu horizon and intersected visible molybdenite. During 2009 and 2010 a 50 &#215; 50 m diamond drill pattern delineated a total mineral resource of 6.7 Mt @ 1.3 per cent Mo, 23g/t Re, 0.3 per cent Cu (mostly Indicated Mineral Resource with minor Inferred Mineral Resource). The resource has been estimated using ordinary kriging within grade domains. Access to the deposit has commenced via a decline and production through the nearby Osborne flotation concentrator (70 km south) is expected in 2012. All facilities and resources are fully owned and operated by Ivanhoe Australia Limited, a public listed company on the Australian and Toronto stock exchanges.

Aug 22, 2011

By E Villaescusa, C Drover

The stability of access tunnels is one of the main engineering challenges in deep underground mine construction. Many underground hard rock mining operations are now reaching depths where the induced stresses are such that sudden and violent failure of the excavations can occur very soon after construction. The loading conditions on the installed ground support schemes are often underestimated by conventional engineering design methods. Therefore, the actual loading conditions often exceed the installed ground support capacity. This can result in failure of the excavations and, in extreme cases, potentially closure of mining operations amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars in lost production. More frequently, violent excavation instability at great depth causes operational delays, costly and unplanned rehabilitation, as well as risks to worker safety. In order to address this challenge, this paper briefly summarises a modern, innovative approach to the design and construction of mine development at great depth. The process follows seven main steps. The first step is to characterise the rock mass strength, structure and stress. The second step is a stability assessment, which identifies the plausible modes of excavation failure, based on the rock mass characterisation. The third step is the definition of an excavation geometry which is harmonic to the high stress conditions. The fourth step is to prepare a site-specific face destressing drill and blast design which will reduce the potential for rock mass instability during the development construction cycle. The fifth step is to accurately quantify the expected loading conditions on the installed ground support. The method of doing so is uniquely analytical and probabilistic. It is based on the natural mechanical relationships between rock strength, structure, induced stress and the physical characteristics of the instability, including its mass and ejection velocity. The sixth step of the design process is to specify a ground support scheme arrangement with sufficient strength and displacement capacity to exceed the rock mass demand by a safe margin. The final stage is to install the complete ground support scheme using mechanised technologies which minimise the exposure of the equipment operators to unsupported ground at the tunnel face.

Nov 29, 2022

By C A. Foss, K Blay, K Leslie, D Hillan

Magnetic field studies provide remote sensing of magnetisation distributions and a means to investigate moderately- to strongly-magnetised ore deposits that may be partially or totally buried. However, above-surface magnetic field surveys have limited capability to resolve the detail of magnetisation distributions because of the large separation between the magnetisation and the magnetic sensor. While some of this detail is available from magnetic susceptibility logging within boreholes or from magnetisation studies on recovered core, these measurements are limited to the exact trace of the boreholes. The large disconnect between ground or aeromagnetic surveys and highly-localised borehole sampling can cause problems in developing robust source models from magnetic survey data. The measurement of magnetic field in boreholes has the capacity to at least partially bridge that gap by measuring the magnetic field due to magnetisations proximal to, but not intersected by, the boreholes.CSIRO has developed the world’s first downhole magnetic tensor gradiometer. This instrument measures magnetic field gradients in all directions within a borehole. A prototype instrument has been built and tested as part of phase 1 of the Deep Exploration Technologies Cooperative Research Centre (DET CRC). The prototype performed well with magnetic pyrrhotite at the DET CRC test site in the Adelaide Hills and at Carpentaria’s Hawsons magnetite deposit south of Broken Hill. Further work is required to reduce the diameter of the probe so that it can operate in NQ holes (it is currently limited to HQ or wider) and to transform it to a continuous logging tool. The borehole tensor gradiometer can be used to investigate the continuity of magnetisation over a distance of several metres to tens of metres away from a borehole intersection and the structural dip of the magnetic body. It can be used to either replace or augment downhole magnetic susceptibility logging. This instrument is one component of an integrated CSIRO suite of new magnetic field utilities and methodologies for iron ore exploration and development.CITATION:Leslie, K, Foss, C A, Hillan, D and Blay, K, 2015. A downhole magnetic tensor gradiometer for developing robust magnetisation models from magnetic anomalies, in Proceedings Iron Ore 2015, pp 299–304 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 13, 2015

By L Y. Yang, Z Wang

This work presents the fundamental properties of CITIC magnetite concentrate and its performance in pelletising and sintering. CITIC concentrate has been widely used in pelletising to produce pellets for blast furnaces. It is also used in sintering to benefit from its sintering performance. CITIC concentrate has excellent balling properties owing to its size distribution, particle surface properties, large specific surface area and balling index, leading to strong green pellets and product pellets. When used in sintering at appropriate levels, sinter bed permeability improves, productivity is increased while coke consumption reduces, and sinter strength improves.

Nov 8, 2021

By K H. Esbensen

The Theory of Sampling (TOS) has contributed significantly to chemometrics by allowing data analysts to become more aware of total measurement uncertainty as total sampling error + total analytical error. This has allowed a new view on, for example, validation of multivariate data models and their performance. This keynote focuses mostly on the reverse perspective: how can chemometric multivariate data modelling be of help in an augmented sampling context? The basic principles of multivariate data analysis are presented and application examples are outlined from several areas in the geosciences to facilitate answers to the question posed, including a geochemical multivariate anomaly concept defined by a multivariate background model. Applications from geochemical prospecting, geochemical mapping, environmental chemistry and anthropogenic outlier recognition are outlined, as are the interdependent relationships between geostatistical modelling (variographics) of singular variables versus linear combinations of a multitude of variables, in chemometrics called scores. The potential synergy between chemometrics and TOS is far from exhausted at this time; much work remains.CITATION:Esbensen, K H, 2014. Theory of sampling in a multivariate perspective – what can chemometrics contribute?, in Proceedings Sampling 2014 , pp 7–10 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 29, 2014

Electronic Detonators have made significant strides over the last few years, both in quality of product and performance in different blast applications. The precision and flexibility of the SMARTDET units provides the mines with a powerful means of controlling blast results, giving both cost and productivity improvements. The SMARTDET Electronic Detonator System, robust and easy to use, has been successfully deployed over the last 18 months in improving mine productivity and creating safer working conditions in both quarrying and long-hole stoping. The key to the improvements has been the precision and flexibility of the electronic timing, and the ability of the mine personnel to grasp the concept quickly and use it effectively.

Jan 1, 1999